Dictionary.com

palmerworm

[ pah-mer-wurm ]
/ ˈpɑ mərˌwɜrm /

noun

the larva of a tineid moth, Dichomeris ligulella, of the eastern U.S., that feeds on the leaves of apple and other fruit trees.

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Origin of palmerworm

First recorded in 1550–60; palmer1 + worm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for palmerworm

  • The Jewish Bible retains the reading of palmer-worm, but affixes the mark of doubt, as it does to the canker-worm.

    Bible Animals;|J. G. Wood

  • Chætochilus pometellus, (Harris), is commonly called the Palmer-worm.

    American Pomology|J. A. Warder

  • The first is in Joel i. 4: "That which the palmer-worm hath left, hath the locust eaten."

    Bible Animals;|J. G. Wood

British Dictionary definitions for palmerworm

palmer worm

noun

the hairy black and white caterpillar of the goldtail moth

Word Origin for palmer worm

C16: originally applied to various destructive caterpillars of migratory habits
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012